ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON ASSEMBLIES OF GOD NIGERIA 11 IN BRIEF MARCH 12 2023

MEMORY VERSE: Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a Sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour – Eph5:2.

CENTRAL TRUTH: Christians should reflect Christ’s transforming power in their lives every day.

INTRO

One of the things the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ did in the lives of believers is transforming their status spiritually and physically. Scripture says, ” if any man be in Christ, He is a new creature, old things are passed away, all things have become new” – that is the status transformation. We have to value this new status with higher importance than the way people place value on their culture and traditions. This new status is our new found or given way of life which we must hold in high spiritual esteem. Our daily living must reflect Christ’s transforming power, and for this to take effect, we must understand Paul’s admonition on the transforming power of Christ in Ephesians 4:17 thru 5:14, thus the lesson is categorized into the following major outlines;

1. Be Renewed In Your Mind

2. Give No Place To The Devil

3. Live In Christ’s Light

Here, Paul presented the picture of the old mind(ie, old sinful mindset) and that of the renewed mind(ie, the new man in Christ) and then instructs believers to be renewed in their mind.

LESSONS DERIVED: Specifically addressing the call out Gentiles – the believers, Paul testified or witnessed in the Lord( ie, on God’s behalf) that believers should not walk as unbelievers who operate in the vanity of their mind, where their understanding is darkened, their hearts blinded because of their ignorance of the life of God. They even lost spiritual sensitivity thereby indulging in all manner of impurity and greed. Paul admonished in v20 that this is not the way of life of a renewed mind. Instead the way of a renewed mind is to put off old self which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires and to put on the new self(mind) created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. And this can only happen if we rely on the divine intervention of the Holy Spirit. When we do, our perception of things will change, we’ll begin to see people and things the way God sees them.

To heed Paul’s instruction of “give no place to the devil”, believers must lay aside evil(ungodly) behaviour and embrace godly behaviour.

LESSONS DERIVED: The first behaviour Paul described that must not have a place in the life of a believer is lying. The reason is if Jesus lives in the believer and Jesus is the ‘the Truth’, it is incompatible with one’s testimony that a Christian would be a liar. When a Christian lies to a fellow Christian, he or she break the bonds of love that have been established among the whole community of believers. Such behaviour breeds confusion and disunity within the Body. He went on to instruct that believers should not welcome the devil by allowing anger to lead them into committing sin, because uncontrolled or unchecked anger is capable of tearing the church apart, blocking one from accessing the Presence of God, breeding hatred among brethren which is murder(1John3:15). Paul also rebuked idleness which brings about stealing because where there are thieves, there is no trust and such acts dishonours God, and that will give the devil a fill day to destroy what God has built in us. He speak against corrupt communication or worthless talk, bitterness, anger, harsh words, slander, unforgiveness which gives the Holy Spirit. We should rather embrace godly attitudes by being kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving, followers of God, loving like Christ who rendered his service a sweet smelling savour unto God. Our service must please God.

Living in Christ’s light(which is a transformed life) is a call to practice pure speech and to keep pure relationships.

LESSONS DERIVED: Paul made it very clear that for us to live in Christ’s light or as children of light, our utterances(conversation) and relationship with one another must conform to the desires of God and thus;

*fornication, indecency, & greed which has to do with relationships should not be found in us.

*filthiness, foolish talking, jesting which has to do with conversations should be replaced with thanksgiving because thanking God always is the will or desire of God.

*we should have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them (ie, prove to sinners with the light of God why they should not be living in sin).

Lastly, the clarion call is for us to awake from our slumber and embrace the Light of Christ(as transformed souls) which will help us to stay away from impure utterances and all forms of impurity-based relationships.

Thanks for studying with us again, as you share your thoughts.